Identifying Adult Student Traits and Exploring Successful Support Strategies
Marina III-IV | Track: Marketing, Enrollment, & Student Services
The adult student population can be viewed as an untapped source of enrollments and can provide a rich diversity of knowledge and experience in the classroom.  In many campuses, Continuing or Professional Education departments are taking the lead in welcoming the adult learner population to their institutions.
In this presentation, we will explore the role, unique needs and contributions of the adult learner population and explain why supporting and advocating for them is important. We will take a brief tour of the current literature on adult students and highlight their specific needs and challenges in the educational marketplace. Then we will introduce you to the real stories of six adult students pursuing their baccalaureate degrees at night. We will conclude by showcasing the efforts undertaken by the Division of Graduate and Continuing Education at Worcester State University to support adult students and foster their success.

• Skip Darmody, Bridgewater State University
• Elena Arranz Alonso, Worcester State University
• Marilyn Cleary, Worcester State University

Proactive and Reactive Mental Health Support Among Online Learners: A Group Dialogue
Marina II | Track: Online Administration
With an increase in enrollment among online learners and few increases in mental healthcare staff, how can we respond to the growing need to support online learners? Join us as we discuss the barriers institutions have faced with addressing these issues and the proactive and reactive strategies employed to increase student support and retention among online learners.

• Tiffany Peterson, UMaineOnline
• Dagmar Moravec, UMaineOnline

Scrum Is Not Just for Rugby: How the Scrum Methodology Benefits Online Course Development
Marina I | Track: Program Planning and Implementation
To increase working efficiency and improve online course quality, Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) has adopted Scrum methodology within its Learning Science and Assessment team. In this workshop, you will learn the basics of Scrum, then examine your own organization’s processes and resources to see how you can benefit from this flexible, collaborative, and empowering development framework.

• Mary Lizie, Southern New Hampshire University
• Diane Creel, Southern New Hampshire University

The Impact of Alumni Mentorship for Online Music Students at Berklee Online
Marina III-IV | Track: Marketing, Enrollment, & Student Services
Associate Dean of Admissions Strategy and Operations for Berklee Online, Michael Moyes and Mentor Collective’s Co-Founder and CEO Jackson Boyar will share:
-The online, alumni mentorship model being used by Berklee Online
-Quantitative and qualitative outcomes from the 2018-19 program
-How mentorship can create a sense of belonging and community for online students
-How to scale a program to hundreds or thousands of students at a low cost
-Best practices for running an outcomes-driven mentorship program

• Michael Moyes, Berklee College of Music
• Matt McCormick, Mentor Collective

Save Them Now: Supporting  and Retaining Online Students
Marina II | Track: Online Administration
The past decade has seen a significant increase in the number of students who prefer the flexibility of online learning to the traditional on-campus experience. As enrollment in online education continues to increase, university administrators face many challenges with providing the necessary support and retain this increasing population. The session will focus specifically on developing strategies to tackle this challenge and improve student success.

• Jasmeial Jackson, Southern New Hampshire University
• Alyssa Kariofyllis, Boston University
• Shelby Harvey, Boston University

The Power of the Right Question: Inquiry as a Practical Tool for Designing Instruction
Marina I | Track: Program Planning and Implementation
In the midst of a large and expanding body of research and on effective course design and teaching strategies, how are questions generated that bring the most benefit to our students,  best serve our mission, and the individual strengths of faculty? This is a space where asking the right questions can help inform course design and create purposeful opportunities to improve instruction with high impact approaches.This session will focus on the value of asking the ‘Why” as a  leverage to better understanding in what way the art of inquiry can help us sort through the noise to help faculty (and ourselves) evaluate program and course needs, increase student engagement, and better meet the needs of a diverse student population.

• Paul Cochrane, University of Southern Maine
• Suzan Nelson, Saint Joseph's College

Five Tools and Techniques to Keep Your  Prospective Student Engage
Marina III-IV | Track: Marketing, Enrollment, & Student Services
The higher education landscape is rapidly changing, and the competition among universities for students is stronger than ever. Prospective students say that universities look and sound the same. How do you break through to reach them in ways that matter? Attend this session to learn the five tools and techniques WPI has implemented in a strategic student-recruiting plan that engages qualified prospective students.  This has led to an 11% decrease in conversion time and higher engagement from prospective students.

• Amanda Keighley, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Susan Hicks, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Lisa Hann, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Faculty Development: The continuous loop of Quality, Training, and Support
Marina I | Track: Online Administration
There has been a necessity for providing faculty development to address pedagogy and course design.  In order to highlight quality design and best practices in online teaching, faculty became students in an online workshop that focused on creating effective courses.  This session will discuss the results, future improvements, and additional ways to support faculty development while improving quality for students.

• Jody Reis, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Kristin Marengo, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Valerie Smedile-Rifkin, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Caitlin Keller, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Transformation: MaineMBA Means Business!
Marina II | Track: Program Planning and Implementation
Developing a new program has many opportunities, as well as challenges. Join our panel for a discussion of the various strategies our institution has implemented to meet these issues as well as the needs of Maine and beyond. We will discuss providing access and opportunities for students while offering workforce development.

• Dagmar Moravec, University of Maine
• Jamie Ballinger, University of Maine
• Ashlie Crabtree, University of Maine

Networking Break in Exhibit Hall